Cambodia Travel Podcast with Sokha Chan

Location

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos

Terrain

Mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

Climate

Tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation

Elevation

Highest point

Phnum Aoral 1,810 m

Lowest point

Gulf of Thailand 0 m

Mean elevation

126 m

Area

Total

181,035 sq km

Land

176,515 sq km

Water

4,520 sq km

Size comparison

1.5 times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oklahoma

Coastline

443 km

Land borders

Total

2,530 km

Border countries

Laos 555 km; Thailand 817 km; Vietnam 1158 km

Natural resources

Oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential, arable land

Land use

Agricultural land

34.9% (2023 est.)

Arable land

23.3% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

3% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

8.5% (2023 est.)

Forest

39.4% (2023 est.)

Other

25.8% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts

Note

A land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap (Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake)

Population

Total

17,230,333 (2025 est.)

Male

8,362,224

Female

8,868,109

Nationality

Noun

Cambodian(s)

Adjective

Cambodian

Ethnic groups

Khmer 95.4%, Cham 2.4%, Chinese 1.5%, other 0.7% (2019-20 est.)

Languages

Languages

Khmer (official) 95.8%, minority languages 2.9%, Chinese 0.6%, Vietnamese 0.5%, other 0.2% (2019 est.)

Major-language sample(s)

សៀវភៅហេតុការណនៅលើពិភពលោក។ ទីតាំងពត៏មានមូលដានគ្រឹះយាងសំខាន់។. (Khmer)

Religions

Buddhist (official) 97.1%, Muslim 2%, Christian 0.3%, other 0.5% (2019 est.)

Median age

Total

28.3 years (2025 est.)

Male

26.9 years

Female

28.9 years

Life expectancy

Total population

71.4 years (2024 est.)

Male

69.6 years

Female

73.3 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

25.6% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

3.06% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

Population concentrated in the southeast, particularly in and around the capital of Phnom Penh; further distribution is linked closely to the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers

Largest cities

2.281 million PHNOM PENH (capital) (2023)

Background

Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire, ushering in a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French protection in 1863, and it became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In 1975, after a seven-year struggle, communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off 13 years of internecine warfare in which a coalition of Khmer Rouge, Cambodian nationalists, and royalist insurgents, with assistance from China, fought the Vietnamese-backed People’s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK).

The 1991 Paris Agreements ended the country’s civil war and mandated democratic elections, which took place in 1993 and ushered in a period of multi-party democracy with a constitutional monarchy. King Norodom SIHANOUK was reinstated as head of state, and the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and the royalist FUNCINPEC party formed a coalition government. Nevertheless, the power-sharing arrangement proved fractious and fragile, and in 1997, a coup led by CPP leader and former PRK prime minister HUN SEN dissolved the coalition and sidelined FUNCINPEC. Despite further attempts at coalition governance, the CPP has since remained in power through elections criticized for lacking fairness, political and judicial corruption, media control, and influence over labor unions, all of which have been enforced with violence and intimidation. HUN SEN remained as prime minister until 2023, when he transferred power to his son, HUN MANET. HUN SEN has subsequently maintained considerable influence as the leader of the CPP and the Senate. The CPP has also placed limits on civil society, press freedom, and freedom of expression. Despite some economic growth and considerable investment from China over the past decade, Cambodia remains one of East Asia's poorest countries.

The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in 1999. A UN-backed special tribunal established in Cambodia in 1997 tried some of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity and genocide. The tribunal concluded in 2022 with three convictions.

Government

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital

Phnom Penh

Time zone

UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea (phonetic transliteration)

Independence

9 November 1953 (from France)

National day

Independence Day, 9 November (1953)

Overview

One of the fastest growing Southeast Asian economies; rebounding tourism and clothing exports; substantial manufacturing and construction sectors; new trade agreements expanding agricultural markets; significant public debt; investing in new ports and roads

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$7,000 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$6,700 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$6,500 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

2.1% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

5.3% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

2.9% (2021 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

0.3% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

0.3% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

0.3% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Riels (KHR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

4,072.397 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

4,110.653 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

4,102.038 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

4,098.723 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

4,092.783 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Tourism, garments, construction, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles

Agriculture

Cassava, rice, maize, sugarcane, vegetables, oil palm fruit, rubber, bananas, jute, pork (2023)

Airports

12 (2025)

Railways

Total

642 km (2014)

Narrow gauge

642 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge

Ports

Total ports

2 (2024)

Large

0

Medium

1

Small

0

Very small

1

Ports with oil terminals

1

Key ports

Kampong Saom, Phsar Ream

Internet domain

.kh

Internet users

Percent of population 61% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

20.5 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

116 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Habitat and biodiversity loss from illegal logging and strip mining; destruction of mangrove swamps; soil erosion; limited access to potable water in rural areas; illegal fishing and overfishing; deforestation leading to sediment build-up in coastal ecosystems

Fresh water

476.1 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)